Paxton
Paxton and the Diesels is a model animated television series. A spin-off of the series Thomas & Friends, it is a revival of The Adventures of Paxton and Friends, which ran for 2 seasons between 2013 and 2014. Paxton and the Diesels has ran for four seasons airing in 2018 and has spawned three specials. The show revolves around the lives of Paxton and the other diesels at the Vicarstown Dieselworks, as they go on exciting adventures and solve different problems. The show marks the first time since 2008 that live action model animation is used in Thomas-based media. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom in 2018 on Channel 5, as part of their Milkshake! children's programming block, and then on Cartoonito alongside Thomas & Friends. It later aired a year later in 2019 alongside Thomas & Friends in the US on Nick Jr. That same year, a spin-off was created entitled Paxton's Pops. Another spin-off titled Diesel: Impossible first aired in January 2020. Overview * Genre: Model animated series * Created by: Andrew Brenner * Based on: Thomas & Friends, created by Britt Allcroft and The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry * Written by: Andrew Brenner * Directed by: Dianna Basso * Voices of: Steven Kynman, Kerry Shale, Bob Golding, Keith Wickham, Matt Wilkinson and other voices * Composer(s): Mike O'Donnell, Junior Campbell, Robert Hartshorne, Peter Hartshorne, Ed Welch, Chris Renshaw, Philip Pope, Lester Barnes, Mike Clowes, Ben Lee-Delisle * Country of origin: United Kingdom * No. of seasons: 4 * No. of episodes: 50 (list of episodes) * No. of specials: 3 * Producer(s): Tracy Blagdon, Micaela Winter * Running time: 10 minutes (Season 1), 15 minutes (Seasons 2-4, specials) * Production company: Mattel Television * Original network: (UK) Channel 5 (Milkshake!), Cartoonito, (US) Nick Jr. * Original release: February - September 2018 About Paxton and the Diesels is a spin-off of the well known series Thomas & Friends; the main show being based off the Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and a revival of The Adventures of Paxton & Friends. Set at the Vicarstown Dieselworks, Paxton, Diesel, Dennis, Norman, Sidney, Den, Dart and Diesel 10, also known as the Diesel Gang, have fun and go on lots of crazy and fun adventures. Other friends along the way include Happy Hook, a friendly crane, Larry, a bright red lorry, Tyler, a blue and yellow mobile crane, and Old Bakewell, an old delivery van who came to work at the Dieselworks after being abandoned. Other familiar friends are there to join in, including Salty, the dockside diesel, and D199, a diesel who lives on The Mainland, even Thomas sometimes joins in from time to time too. Format The show's episodes follow a general plot, including some humorous elements. At the start of each episode, Paxton greets the viewers and welcomes them to the Dieselworks and introduces them to his friends. One of the main plot elements in the show include Paxton and the gang talking about many different things in the world around them, such as steam engines and diesel engines. Sometimes, one of the characters may often have problems and the diesels come up with different ideas to solve them. Throughout the episodes, some songs are sung by the gang that relate to the problems. At the near end of some episodes, Happy Hook gives out a tip to the viewers about that episode's subject and the problem that was solved. Then, Paxton and the gang sing an ending song, say goodbye to the viewers and the end credits roll. The ending song from the first to the third seasons was the Not So Long Song. From the fourth season, a song called Paxton Is Our Friend is sung, which is sung to the tune of the Engine Roll Call song from Thomas & Friends. History The show is a revival of The Adventures of Paxton and Friends. The original series ran for two series that aired between 2013 and 2014. It then became a big media franchise, which includes Paxton and the Diesels and its spin-offs Paxton's Pops and Diesel: Impossible. The Adventures of Paxton and Friends also had spin-off shows, known as the Camp series, due to the word camp being included in all of those shows. The spin-offs were Paxton's On the Go Camp, Paxton's Jungle Camp and Paxton's Holiday Camp, and they were all broadcast on a monthly basis. In addition to those spin-offs, there was an attempted spin-off called Story Time with Paxton, with Paxton reading stories from the Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry. Only a pilot episode of that spin-off was made with Paxton reading the story Thomas and the Trucks, from the book Thomas the Tank Engine, the second book in the series published in 1946. The proposal for a revival series can probably go back to 2015 when it was announced that a new Paxton series would be made in 2016. A pilot was made in 2015 called Paxton at the Seaside. The pilot included the first appearance of Norman in the series, though he didn't make any full appearances until Season 3 in 2018. There were no updates about the new Paxton series in 2016, when it was intended to be released and neither were there any updates in 2017, so it was cancelled. In 2018, it was announced that the new Paxton series would air that year and it would be titled Paxton and the Diesels. When Series 4 ended in September 2018, it was announced that more work would be done in the future. A plan for a spin-off was announced a year later in 2019, and a spin-off music show named Paxton's Pops was made. It aired from 3 November until it was cancelled on 31 December 2019 (New Year's Eve). In December 2019, during when Paxton's Pops was made, it was announced that a second spin-off would follow on. It is called Diesel: Impossible, and started airing in January 2020. Characters This is a list of characters who have appeared throughout the series. Main engine, vehicle and rolling stock characters * Paxton - a young diesel shunter who often works at the Blue Mountain Quarry bringing down slate to Brendam Docks and other places on Sodor. He's easily described as the opposite of Diesel, being good-hearted, well meaning and sometimes gullible, naïve and easily misled. He is based on a British Rail Class 08 diesel-electric shunter. * Diesel - a sinister diesel shunter who was the first diesel ever to arrive on Sodor. He is often called Devious Diesel. Despite being tricky and devious, Diesel does try his best to be really useful. He is also based on a British Rail Class 08 diesel-electric shunter. * Sidney - a forgetful blue diesel shunter. He often takes goods trains to the Mainland. Sidney always starts his day at one place and ends up at another, not remembering how he got there. When Sidney arrived on Sodor, he had no wheels, so he had to come to the Dieselworks and be repaired on the hoist. It took him two years to wait. Then Sidney got his new wheels at Christmas and he's now a really useful engine again. Like Paxton and Diesel, he is also based on a British Rail Class 08 diesel-electric shunter. * Den - a big diesel-hydraulic engine who runs the Dieselworks with his assistant, Dart. He can often be heard muttering "What I mean to say is...", and get quite confused. His assistant, Dart can always tell what Den is thinking about and correct him. He is based on a Rolls-Royce Class 4DH Sentinel 0-4-0 diesel-hydraulic locomotive. *Dart - a small diesel shunter who assists Den in running the Dieselworks. He supports and assists Den. Although not so much the thinker of the duo, he is usually the doer and can be the chattier of the two. Dart is always rushing around at the Dieselworks, often bashing, crashing and clanging into things. He is also heard grumbling Dizzy diesels!. Dart is based on the W.G. Bagnall diesel locomotive No. 3207 Leys. * Norman - an orange-red diesel shunter. He often works around Vicarstown and is Dennis' brother. He is a much kinder diesel and more willing to work, unlike Dennis who is lazy. He wants to be liked by the other engines, whether if they be steam or diesel. Norman is always doing his part at the Dieselworks, always following the Fat Controller's orders. In fact, Norman is so efficient, Sir Topham Hatt always holds him in high regard. Norman often breaks down, but if he were repaired properly, he'd show what a really useful engine he would be. He doesn't talk that much, making him the quietest of the diesels. He is based on the British Rail No. 11001 prototype diesel locomotive. * Dennis - a lazy diesel shunter who is Norman's brother. He is considered to be a very lazy engine who tries to take advantage of others and depend on them to do work for him. Dennis often creates excuses to get out of work, but is usually caught in his lies and says sorry. Like Norman, he is also based on the British Rail No. 11001 locomotive. *Diesel 10 - An evil diesel with a semi-sentient hydraulic claw named Pinchy. He is more devious than Diesel, and is the head of them all. He gets along with the other Sudrian diesels and all engines on the railway fear or respect him. Despite living at the Dieselworks, he doesn't work very often and is normally resting in his shed most of the time. He is based on the British Rail Class 42 Warship. * Happy Hook - Happy Hook is a stationary crane based at the Dieselworks. In Thomas & Friends, he is non-sentient, but he is in Paxton and the Diesels. He helps out with repairing the diesels, but is always watching over them to see what is going on. * Tyler - a blue mobile crane who's always busy going around the yard picking up bits and pieces. * Larry - a bright red lorry. He makes deliveries from different parts of the island, and is proud of being bright red. * Old Bakewell - an old delivery van who came to work at the Dieselworks after being abandoned for many years. In his youth, Old Bakewell used to go around Sodor delivering bread and other things from the bakery. When he got old, he was kept in a scrapyard for many years until the Dieselworks Manager rescued him and decided that he should work at the Dieselworks. He was introduced in Season 3. Other engine, vehicle and rolling stock characters ' * Lawrence - A white lorry who lives on the Mainland. He sometimes comes to the Dieselworks to help with extra deliveries. * Bobby - a diesel engine who the gang met when they were on the Mainland in The Great Adventure. He is based on a British Rail Class 55 ''Deltic. *The Dieselworks Shuttle Bus - A small unnamed red minibus owned by Sodor Roadways who takes the Manager, the General Manager, the Inspector and other staff to work at the Dieselworks every morning and takes them back home in the evening. He only appeared in the Season 2 episode Waking Up. He doesn't have a face, but he does have some ability to speak. *DW1 - A faceless diesel engine that made cameo appearances in the background of some Series 4 episodes only. It was seen in a siding at the back of the Dieselworks. It is based on a Russian TGM23 class diesel shunter. Ivan and Shankar are other members of this class. The engine's role is similar to that of the Märklin Engine that appeared in Series 1 of Thomas & Friends, where it was used to haul rolling stock in the background. *Troublesome - A troublesome truck. He appeared in the Series 1 episode Trucks. *The Low Cargo Truck - A faceless cargo truck who has an ability to speak. It also appeared in the Series 1 episode Trucks. The way it speaks with no face is in a similar manner to some coaches in Thomas & Friends. *The Freight Truck - Another faceless truck with an ability to speak. Like the Low Cargo Truck and Troublesome, it also appeared in the Series 1 episode Trucks. '''Main human characters * The Manager - He is in charge of the Dieselworks. He's always making sure that everything runs smoothly. He is a fatherly figure to the diesels, but will get cross if they've caused 'confusion and delay'. He often helps out with The General Manager and often has meetings with the Fat Controller. He has a pet dog named Skipper and plays a banjo. He, the General Manager and the Inspector play in their own band. * The General Manager - He also makes sure that everything runs smoothly, and helps the Manager. He also plays in the band with the Manager and the Inspector, and plays the drums. * The Inspector - An inspector who works at the Dieselworks. He plays the electric guitar in the band with the Manager and the General Manager. * PC Pullman - A policeman who is only seen in Season 1. * The Mayor of Vicarstown - The mayor is in charge of Vicarstown and the whole island, and is a good friend to the Diesels. Other human characters * The Diesel Day Announcer - An unnamed announcer who announces the events on Diesel Day. He only appears in the special of the same name. * The Repair Man - An unnamed man who works for a company called Mix & Match Parts. He only appeared in the third season episode The Old Trolley, where he delivered parts for repairing the trolley. * Giovanni Spaghetti - A famous Italian chef who comes to visit the Dieselworks. He is only seen in the fourth season episode The Famous Visitor. Mentioned/unseen characters * The Mayor of Barrow-in-Furness - An unseen character. He was mentioned in the third season episode Wibble Wobble, and is said that the Mayor of Vicarstown has meetings with him. * The General Manager's Son - A relative of the General Manager mentioned in Season 4 who used to play in. * Skipper - The Manager's pet dog. Even though he is not seen, he can be heard barking in some episodes. * The Abandoned Engine - Mentioned by Paxton in the fourth season episode For True Life. Like the Mayor of Barrow-in-Furness, it is unseen, and is mentioned in a story that Paxton told. * Diesel's Ghost Engine - An engine made up by Diesel that is mentioned in the fourth season episode For True Life. * Paxtina - Paxton's sister. She was mentioned by Paxton in the Season 1 episode Family, though she has appeared in the original predecessor series, The Adventures of Paxton and Friends. * Paxtona - Paxton's brother He was mentioned by Paxton in the Season 1 episode Family, and like Paxtina, he has appeared in the predecessor series. * Baxton - Paxton's cousin. He was mentioned by Paxton in the Season 1 episode Family. * Jaxton - Paxton's brother-in-law. He was mentioned by Paxton in the Season 1 episode Family. * Parkson - Paxton's uncle. He was mentioned by Paxton in the Season 1 episode Family. Guest characters from Thomas & Friends and the Railway Series * 'Arry and Bert * Arthur * Ashima * Billy * Belle * Bash and Dash * Bulstrode * Charlie * Captain * Donald and Douglas * D199 * Edward * Elizabeth * Flynn * Ferdinand * Flying Scotsman * Gordon * Gator * Henry * Harvey * Harold * Hiro * Ivan * Kevin * Luke * Lady * Little Topham Hatt * Murdoch * Molly * Mr. Percival * Mr. Bubbles * Nia * Percy * Philip * Porter * Rosie * Stanley * Spencer * Stephen * Shane * Stepney * Salty * Thomas * Toby * Timothy * Theo * The Fat Controller * Whiff Episodes and specials Main article: List of Paxton and the Diesels episodes and specials Paxton and the Diesels ran for four seasons with a total of 50 episodes. There were also three half hour television specials, Diesel Day, The Great Adventure and The Greatest Moments. Cast * Steven Kynman as Paxton, Dart, Dennis and The Inspector (Season 4 only) (UK/US) * Kerry Shale as Diesel, Tyler, PC Pullman (Season 1 only) and the Low Cargo Car (UK/US) * Bob Golding as Sidney (UK/US) * Keith Wickham as Den, Norman, Old Bakewell, The Manager, The General Manager, The Inspector (Season 2 and Season 3 only), The Diesel Day Announcer, The Repair Man and Giovanni Spaghetti (UK/US) * Matt Wilkinson as Diesel 10, Happy Hook, Larry, Lawrence, Bobby, Tyler (only in the Season 1 episode Emergencies) and the Dieselworks Shuttle Bus (Season 2 only) (UK/US) * David Bedella as The Mayor of Vicarstown (UK/US) * Rasmus Hardiker as Troublesome and the Freight Truck (UK/US) Production '''Animation style' Paxton and the Diesels is made using model animation. Instead of using such models derived from model trains from companies such as Hornby, Bachmann, Lionel and Märklin, the models used are Take-n-Play and Adventures models from Fisher-Price. Human characters are animated using stop-motion, which was also used for human and animal characters in the model era of Thomas & Friends. Unlike in the model era of the main show, the voices in Paxton and the Diesels are provided by the same cast from Thomas & Friends in the CGI series. The 2013 predecessor, The Adventures of Paxton and Friends had the same animation and cast. In 2015, a year after the second series of The Adventures of Paxton and Friends finished, it was announced that a new Paxton series would be broadcast in 2016. A pilot was made that year called Paxton at the Seaside. Instead of Take-n-Play models, the pilot used clay animation, which might have been the type of animation that was going to be used in the full cancelled series, though Take-n-Play models were brought back when Paxton and the Diesels was in production in 2018. In 1979, when Britt Allcroft, creator of Thomas & Friends acquired the rights to produce the Railway Series stories into television, she decided on what type of animation should be used to make the series after meeting animators and watching test reels. Clay animation was one of the types of animation Britt decided on, as well as stop motion, traditional or CGI animation. After she met David Mitton, live action model animation was chosen. Merchandise Due its success, Paxton and the Diesels has created a line of merchandise which includes books, magazines, and its own line of toys and games and an album featuring songs from the show's episodes. It is part of a media franchise that originated with The Adventures of Paxton & Friends. Home releases All four seasons of Paxton and the Diesels have been released on DVD. The first season was released in February 2019, along with the second, third and fourth seasons respectively being released in March, April and May 2019 respectively. Music An album called Music and Songs with Paxton and Friends was released in 2019. It features songs from different episodes of the show. Toys and games Several toys have been released since the show started in February 2018, including its own versions of the Thomas & Friends TrackMaster, Adventures (until it was discontinued in December 2018) and Wood toys. A board game of Paxton and the Diesels was made. It is a version of the classic board game Operation, where players have to cure Paxton after being damaged from a derailment by using different repair tools instead of tweezers in the original version. Instead of a buzzer sound, Paxton's horn sounds and his nose lights up red whenever a player's repair tool goes on the wrong part of Paxton's bodywork. Other games include a jigsaw puzzle with a picture of Paxton, the other diesels and the Dieselworks staff. Print publications Several books and a magazine of Paxton and the Diesels have been published. Spin-off series Main articles: Paxton's Pops and Diesel: Impossible A year after Paxton and the Diesels ended, a spin-off called Paxton's Pops was created. It first aired in November 2019 and finished on 31 December 2019. It is a music show similar to others like Top of the Pops and has Paxton singing different pop songs from the 1970's to the 1980's with special guests. In addition to all of the Paxton and the Diesels merchandise, there are other merchandise of the spin-off including a compilation album and a magazine. There is also a radio show broadcasting Originally, a different spin-off was to be made after the fourth season of Paxton and the Diesels aired in 2018. The planned spin-off would've had 10 5 minute episodes made that were shorter than the main series. It was later cancelled for unknown reasons. Another spin-off was announced in December 2019. Entitled Diesel: Impossible, it is based on the Thomas & Friends episode The Case of the Puzzling Parts, from Series 22. It was released in January 2020. The spin-off's format focuses on Paxton, Sidney and Thomas working as secret agents for the Anti-Devious Diesel Agency (A.D.D.A.), a small spy agency led by the Chief, an unseen character, going on missions, trying to stop the Steamie Extermination League (S.E.L.), an evil organization led by Diesel 10, assisted by his minions, Diesel, Max, Monty and Troublesome whose aim is to exterminate all the steam engines on Sodor. The format is based on many spy films and TV series like James Bond and Mission: Impossible, the latter series is where the title Diesel: Impossible comes from. Trivia * The show was filmed at Shepperton Studios in West London. The second to twelfth series of Thomas & Friends was filmed there before the full CGI switchover in 2009. the show's sister show TUGS was also filmed there. The same also goes to Paxton's Pops and Diesel: Impossible. * Like the first to the twelfth seasons of Thomas & Friends, the show, as well as Paxton's Pops was made using models, particularly Take-n-Play and Adventures models rather than models such as Hornby, Bachmann, Lionel and Märklin. * The Dieselworks is the only location to appear in every season and special of the series, except for The Great Adventure. * There are 50 episodes in the entire series, the 15th being in the first season, the 20th and 30th being in the second season, the 40th episode being in the third season and the 50th being in the fourth season. See also * List of Thomas & Friends spin-offs * Paxton's Pops * Diesel: Impossible Category:Thomas & Friends spin-offs